THE LONELY SAGE AND THE MAD GARDENER
by Don't trust your eyes
Summary: There is more than one world outside; layers and layers of different realities coexisting, where magical creatures live among humans. This is the unique story of Christian and Ana, two lonely beings who finally find their reason for living, their final destiny, after a millennial quest throughout the corners of the earth.


**This is my entry for the Days of Fifty Challenge 3, a writing challenge inspired by The Playroom of the FSoG Sisterhood FB group, whose theme was SUPERNATURAL.**

 **This one-shot is conceived as a summary of a larger story. I'm presenting you the characters and the plot, but it's not quite a first chapter. If you are interested, it will become a full story that I will expand with more background story of the characters and more of their future together.**

 **Thank you to Lanie Love and Mrs Caron for their inspiration.**

 **Thank you to GatePark for editing the one-shot and make it shine.**

 **And thanks to you for reading. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **THE LONELY SAGE AND THE MAD GARDENER**

Christian walked along the empty streets, cloaked in the darkness of a moonless night. Wicked monsters lurked around the filthy corners, sharp teeth poking under evil smiles. He smirked at them and kept gliding through the narrow alleys with purposeful, silent steps toward his destination, the one he had been visiting every night for the last month.

With unnatural grace, he climbed the fire escape of the red brick building; its usually groaning joints falling silent under his touch. Effortlessly, he approached the top of the building and jumped onto the small balcony of the top floor, putting on his hood to cover his unruly copper curls as he leaned against the railings with a reptilian-like stance. His grey eyes, almost translucent, scanned the inside of the tiny apartment, waiting patiently for her to appear.

He was a millenary guardian. A solitary creature who had accumulated multiple lifetimes of treasures and knowledge. A keeper. But none of that mattered anymore. He always had tolerated the burden of solitude that accompanied him; he even relished in it. But now it was like a stone weighing heavy on his chest because he was consumed with his want of her, and only her.

_§ § 0 § §_

Anastasia was in the middle of the evening ritual of taking care of her plants. There were so many pots and planters around the tiny one-bedroom apartment that it looked like a small forest. She really made a ceremony out of it, giving each one of them the exact amount of hydration, nutrients and attention they needed. The colorful tulips that welcomed her home in the foyer usually asked for a joke or two, their soft petals vibrating with Ana's laughter. The delicate bluebells on the coffee table often needed some dancing to cheer them up. The majestic hanging plants around the main living space always requested a reverential salute, which Ana dutifully gave them by bowing solemnly as she passed. While making dinner, she chatted animatedly with the rosemary, the thyme and the mint that sat on the kitchen counter, thanking them for how generously they shared their leaves with her. She pleased the water hyacinth placed beside her bathtub with small talk as she took a bath, and every night she told the lavender and jasmine plants that surrounded the headboard of her queen-size bed a bedtime story.

A rapid movement out on the balcony caught her eye. She nervously bit her bottom lip and took a breath through her nose, letting it go with a soft puff of air when her teeth released her petal soft flesh. Her gaze moved to the latest acquisition now residing on her end table, a solitary oleander blossom in a small jar that had appeared the night before on the metallic grid that was the utilitarian floor of the balcony. It was tiny and delicate; precious in spite of its poisonous nature.

"You're a little misfit, huh?" She whispered to the white flower, squatting to its level. She looked to the fire escape once again and approached it with guarded steps. She tried to take a peek between the green strings of rounded leaves of the Button Orchid that she used as curtains, but the night was too dark, and she only found the reflection of her big, cerulean-blue eyes staring back at her. When she opened the sliding door, she found a mid-sized terracotta pot with a golden bow affixed to it, holding a gorgeous Aloe Vera plant. Stepping onto the small outdoor space, Ana fingered the meaty, reptilian-like leaves when she felt a shiver running down her spine. She stood up straighter, squaring her shoulders, and kept still; after closing her eyes and wrapping her arms tightly around her middle. There was something, or someone, beside her. A strong presence that made her weak in the knees. "Who's there? Who are you?" She whispered to the darkness.

Christian, who was now perched on his haunches on top of the roof, backed away with a jolt. He panted silently, squeezing his eyes shut as if in pain. The scent of her skin had lured him in; she smelled like a meadow full of wildflowers, like sunny days and ardent nights. But her fragrant breath, that honeyed wisp of air coming out of her delectable mouth, was too much. He was incapable of containing the low purr reverberating in his chest. The low sound ignited Ana's nerve endings as its vibration traveled from her bare toes to the hair on the top of her head. Her nipples tightened and her abdomen tingled with need. Christian widened his stance; his eyes wild and feral, his nostrils flaring as he clutched the tiles of the roof, unknowingly crushing them between his fingers. Ana shuddered; her body was on fire, her skin dampened with perspiration. She carelessly discarded her cardigan on the floor, picked up the plant and rushed into the apartment after a breathless 'thank you' thrown into the darkness of the night. She leaned her back against the cool surface of the glass door, clutching the fabric of her light, white sundress in her left fist. What was happening to her? What was this presence that overpowered her entire being? Strong, dominant, wise, millennial. She whimpered with the sound of shattered tiles falling to the balcony, and gasped when a burning heat seeped through the glass, searing her skin with intense warmth. Christian pressed himself to the door, the side of his face flattened over the smooth surface and his hands trailing the outline of her body. His ragged breath fogged the glass just behind the curve of her neck, whispering ancient words in an unknown language, older than life itself. At that moment, Ana let herself go. Dropping the plant, she fell to her knees on the floor, legs wide open and hands landing on the apex of her thighs. Christian knelt behind her, desperate. She found herself hot and wet, ready to combust, moving to rub furiously under her panties, dipping her fingers inside her as his mere presence commanded her to do. Christian clawed the glass, which subjugated under his fingertips as if it were butter, and when she exploded with a scream of ecstasy, he roared to the heavens and took off to the dark sky, the metallic structure of the balcony giving way underneath him.

_§ § 0 § §_

Ana stepped off the train while saying goodbye to the regular fellow passengers that shared her morning commute. She supported the pot with the Aloe Vera plant over her hip and headed to her place of work for the last five years, the Volunteer Park Conservatory. She loved the walk from the train station to the greenhouse itself and, as per usual, stopped by the cafe for an English tea to go.

"A new acquisition, Ana?" The young man smiled as he pointed to the plant. She always carried one, either on her way in or when she went home in the afternoon.

"Yes, it was a gift. Do you like it?" She answered with a toothy grin, caressing the thick leaves with a single finger. She trembled ever so slightly as she could feel his presence lurking somewhere not far away from her, his heady, earthy scent filling her lungs deliciously. With a friendly smile and a 'see you tomorrow', she headed to the conservatory.

It was almost midday when Christian decided to finally approach her. He appeared from around a corner filled with palm trees, with his hands deeply tucked inside his front pockets and a guarded expression on his face. Ana had felt his presence all day long, but now the pull was stronger. And, although she didn't raise her eyes from the rose bush she was trimming, there was no doubt it was him. Shuddering, she left the pruner on the metallic work bench and, still without averting her eyes from the blood red petals of the flowers, she took off her gardening gloves. Finally, she slowly looked up and saw him for the first time. Biker boots; faded jeans covering strong, long legs; gray Henley shirt hugging a broad, toned chest and taut stomach; and a sculptured face, so beautiful it hurt. But what made her skin pucker in goose-bumps were those hypnotic grey eyes. They were young but spoke of an ancient wisdom that seemed to know all her deepest, darkest secrets.

"I wasn't sure you were going to show up." Her voice sounded breathier than she intended. To Christian it was husky and sexy, making him slow his approach to compose himself.

"Here I am." He stated when he reached the opposite side of the table.  
He had been alone for such a long time, that he felt like a fish out of water. Always keeping a safe, comfortable distance, he was an avid observer, excellent at reading people and finding out what made them tick. He had always been content like that, or so he lied to himself, but the precious creature in front of him was so beautiful, so unique, he needed more from her. So much more. "Would you like a coffee?" He finally spoke, enthralled by the sparkle of the blue gems that were her eyes and the alluring way she bit that succulent lip.

"I'm more of a tea lover." Ana teased him with an innocent smile.

"Noted." He answered with amused eyes.

"I know just the place." She finally said, shaking her head to clear her mind of the banter-induced giddiness she was feeling.

They walked to the cafe in comfortable silence; Christian with his hands still in his pockets; Ana holding the Aloe Vera plant, once again safely resting over the curve of her hip. Christian watched her, fixing it in his brain along the millions and millions of data he remembered, but didn't ask her about the loving way in which she carried the plant as if it were her child. They chose one of the more secluded tables of the open spacious cafe after receiving their orders. Christian watched Ana as she dipped the bag of English breakfast tea in the hot water three times before leaving it aside on the saucer. He didn't comment anything, just assessed her, taking mental notes, his thumb and index finger rubbing his chin rhythmically. She watched him watching her, reaching to her own conclusions too.

"I'm Ana. Anastasia, in fact, but I prefer Ana," She said to break the ice.

"I'm Christian. You like plants, a lot," Christian commented, pointing with his chin at the plant beside her.

"I need them to…" 'To live, to breathe, to stay alive', she thought. Was he different from the rest, like she had been contemplating over these last few weeks since she started sensing his overpowering presence and finding such thoughtful gifts? Could she finally have found someone who really understood her? "Yeah, I like plants, a lot." She finally agreed. Christian nodded wordlessly, reading between the lines as he so thoroughly had perfected through the years. "What do you do? What are you?" She asked.

"I'm an entrepreneur, silent investor in multiple ventures. I'm… good at reading people, calculating risks and make profitable choices." Christian answered after pondering his words for a while.

"Oh, my God! Really? A silent partner? A man who doesn't need any recognition to boost his enormous ego? I never believed they existed, but one is staring right at me!" Ana exclaimed with mock surprise. A heartfelt, melodic laugh erupted from Christian's mouth as he slapped his thigh. Ana's whole body tingled with the velvety sound, the low tones reverberating in her bones. "It's quite a vague answer, though…" She raised an eyebrow defiantly.

"No name, no blame," Christian answered teasingly before sipping his black coffee.

"Ok, so… I'm the mad gardener, who speaks with her plants, if you were to ask me," she deadpanned, mimicking him by also sipping from her weak tea.

Christian shook his head smiling dazzlingly. "That's really endearing." They looked at each other silently, feeling the strange connection they shared, and not fully understanding it. "This…" he motioned between the two of them with his hand, "it's… so refreshing." The content expression on his beautiful face was soul-stirring. Ana stared at him in awe. His features seemed younger and lighter with his eyes closed; those iridescent irises that reflected the sorrow and the pain of someone who has seen too much hidden just under his eyelids. "You should return to the greenhouse, shouldn't you?" Christian said, suddenly standing up and breaking her trance.

"And you…? What are you going to do?" Ana felt the panic growing at the prospect of a sudden farewell.

"What do you want me to do?" Christian cocked his head, the warmth of their previous exchange totally gone. Ana opened and closed her mouth unsure of what to say. Should she go with the truth? Was she risking too much trusting in that stranger? She wanted to know him, she wanted him, period. She felt confused, giddy; she was anxious, even a little bit scared, but she needed more of him. "I don't want you to go. You, we… last night…" she whispered the last words, not being able to form a coherent sentence.

"There are too many ears here," Christian cut her off.

"You could come to my apartment this evening." Ana's voice wavered in hesitation.

"I will if you want me to." Christian's eyes wandered between her blue ones and her mouth.

"I want you to," she whispered, fearing that everything would crumble if her voice raised a little.

"Good," he nodded.

"You might want to come by the building's main entrance; someone crushed my balcony yesterday night," she said sarcastically; that challenging eyebrow once again risen in defiance.

That blissful smile was once again on full HD across Christian's face. "You don't have any idea..." Christian's smile didn't falter, but his expression sobered.

"Of what?" Ana asked, confused.

"Of how much I really, really like you," he voiced huskily, his penetrating stare boring over her skin.

Ana wrapped her arms around her middle, suddenly shivering. "But you haven't touched me, not once." She frowned, looking at his hands, once again tucked inside his pockets.

His right hand rose slowly, stopping a few inches from her face. His body inched closer, but he maintained a secure distance. He lifted the end of the silky pashmina that hung from her neck, letting it slide between his fingers. "If I touch you now..." Christian licked his lips, watching how the fabric slipped from his hand and touched her breast, "I won't be able to stop." Ana's heart beat rapidly against her ribcage.

She only nodded in assent.

_§ § 0 § §_

Christian entered Ana's building by the main entrance taking the stairs, climbing one step at a time, forcefully grounding his feet on the marble floor as he tried to center himself. He was filled with anticipation; his nerve endings cracking with electricity, his skin humming with her proximity, the beast inside him waiting to break free, so he tried to stay as calm as possible. He could smell her tangy-sweet scent, and it was making his mastered self-control rapidly slip away as he approached the door of her apartment. He rang the bell and waited, chuckling to himself at the irony of the situation; he could easily open the door with a little push of his index finger.

Ana opened the door with trembling hands. His supernatural eyes, deep and precious, stared at her as his face relaxed infinitesimally. He carried a beautiful bouquet of white daisies in a small gray clay pot.

"These are for you," he said as he brought them closer to her, "they remind me of you: delicate, innocent, beautiful."

"Thank you so much! They are lovely," she said as she let him in, blushing at his words. She noticed once again how he had given her the daisies in a pot, with their roots intact and richly soaked with life; as if he knew how sad and sick it would make her to receive cut flowers. "You are too kind."

"I'm not," he stated as he closed the door behind him. He didn't add anything else.

"So, considering the oleander and the Aloe Vera… I have to assume that you are both poisonous and healing?" she said with mischief.

"Also fire resistant," he smirked.

She paused for a second, pondering his words as she placed the daisies on the coffee table, beside the bluebells. "We have so much to talk about," she finally said, leaning her back against the wall.

"We have," he acquiesced, approaching her. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked as he brushed his fingertips along a silky lock of dark brown hair that rested delicately over her chest.

"Strangely not," she answered with humor. She closed her eyes, tilting her head back and stifling a moan when he put the lock of hair behind her ear, brushing her skin with his fingers in the process. "I don't know how you do this, why I feel like this..." she panted.

"I have been watching you for some time now, but I don't want to assume I have all the answers," he distanced himself from her, letting her recover from his unintended sensory attack. "Who are you?"

"I'm a nymph. A Dryad. I need my plants to live, and they need me." She explained out of breath, knotting her fingers together. "But I think you already knew, didn't you?"

Christian nodded, eyes squinted and brow furrowed in concentration, unable to stop himself from entering her personal space as his hands landed flat on the wall, on either side of her head, encasing her. "I figured…" he inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the flowery scent of her hair, "you are too enticing, too tempting and too exceptional." His eyes closed in bliss. "Are you alone?" Ana only nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. Again, Christian put some distance between them; his fragile control ready to snap. "Why are you here, living in the city, then?" he asked, biting his lip. It was the only thing he could not figure out.

"I had to. It's a long story I don't want to stir up right now," she answered sharply. Christian saw the cloud of fear and anxiousness in her eyes, and didn't push the subject for the moment.

"What are you?" she asked, pushing herself from the wall. "You exert an immeasurable power over me…" they both looked at the scratched glass of the balcony door, and the distorted mass of metal that was the terrace floor.

"It is only an infinitesimal part of the power you exert over me," Christian brushed both his hands over his hair, leaving them hooked behind his neck. "I… I have never wanted anything like I want you… I'm focused on you; I'm obsessed with you. Thoughts of you consume my mind all the time," he confessed, a distraught expression on his face.

"Who are you, Christian?" Her heart was beating so hard she was afraid it might burst out of her chest.

He paced the room for a minute, standing akimbo in front of her. "Once upon a time, there was a knight." He averted his eyes for a second, a fog of unpleasant memories clouding his sight. "Sir Grey was a powerful man; courageous, audacious. Nothing stopped him; nothing was enough for him. He didn't settle for a normal life, so he spent his days looking for something… magnificent. And he finally found it, only by chance." Ana waited with bated breath as he stared at some undetermined point on the opposite wall. "He was fighting with a pack of wolves, wounded and clearly outnumbered, corralled against the side of a wall of rock, when a thunderous roar filled the air, scaring the wolves away toward the deep forest. He was Gråskuggor, the gray Dragon; the biggest and strongest he had ever seen. Also the wisest. The creature bowed respectfully in front of Sir Grey's prone form, took him gently between his large claws, and healed him with its knowledge and power."

"Why did the dragon help Sir Grey?" Ana asked, fascinated with the story and the way Christian's eyes changed in different shades of a hypnotizing silvery color.

He looked her in the eye. "Because he felt it was his destiny. After thousands of years of existence, he was feeling empty," he explained without breaking eye contact. "In spite of all his power, his knowledge, his treasures…" Christian shook his head, "he felt incomplete as if a part of his soul had been ripped away, leaving a burning hole in his gigantic chest." He closed the distance between them, standing only inches apart from her. "When he smelled the fight and sensed Grey's soul slipping away to the heavens, he knew he had to save him to reach his destiny."

"Did Gråskuggor finally find what he was looking for?" Ana asked in a whisper.

Christian looked at Ana with adoration as his eyes caressed the perfect curve of her cheek. "Sir Grey and Gråskuggor became true friends, connecting on a superior level…" Christian stared blankly as if reliving an old memory. "Their brains evolved to function as one, as if their minds would have… merged into a single one. They shared everything; their dreams, their desires, even their most secrets fears. They fought hundreds of battles, found dozens of treasures and lived a good life, until one fateful night, when everything fell apart. Sir Grey met a beautiful woman; delicate, sophisticated, an aristocrat. He fell in love, and failed to see her true colors. She was extremely fickle and egotistical. The woman, Lady Williams, became extremely jealous of the connection Sir Grey shared with the dragon; she saw him as a hindrance for her plans, and she contracted a sorceress to get rid of the beast."

Ana gasped in horror, covering her mouth with a trembling hand. "She wanted to… to kill the dragon? How do you do that? Dragons are powerful creatures!"

Christian took both her hands in his. "Dragons are one of the most powerful creatures, but they are not invincible. The Lincoln Witch, that was her name, had a deal with the Devil himself. She lulled Gråskuggor to sleep with an ancient, forbidden spell and stabbed him in the chest with a poisonous dagger through a small hole in his cuirass." Christian let go of one of her hands and rubbed his chest over his heart as if feeling an old wound.

Ana looked him with kind, sad eyes. "I'm so sad for poor Gråskuggor… he didn't find what he was looking for…" Her gaze roamed all over his face, as if seeing him for the first time. "So, I'm more or less in front of a Sir, then," she bowed gracefully, averting her eyes to the floor. "What happened with Lady Williams and the Witch?"

He sighed, getting even closer to her as he licked his lips. "That's a story for another time… Let's just say their days finished with a slow, painful death and that they are rotting in hell for eternity." A shiver ran down Ana's spine, not in fear but in morbid satisfaction. Christian caressed her arms with the back of his hands, feeling the goose bumps all over her skin. "And, as for the dragon…" He took a few steps back and ran a hand through his hair. "Man and dragon had such a connection, that they were in fact a single creature, a single organism, even if they didn't know at the time." Ana's brow furrowed in confusion. "When the Witch attacked one of them, she, in fact, was attacking both of them. Only the strongest survived." Ana opened her mouth, but not a single word escaped her lips. She shook her head and raised her hands palms up, in silent question. "I am not the knight, Ana. I am the dragon." Christian raised his right hand and brought it to the back of his neck, grabbing the collar of his t-shirt and taking it off in one swift motion. He had the powerful physique of a warrior and his skin was covered by the vibrating tattoo of a fiery dragon. Christian watched carefully her reaction; how her beautiful eyes widened; how her rosy lips parted; how her hands moved to her chest. "I am a wise creature, Ana; as all dragons are. I have knowledge of a million facts, both magical and earthly, but I still don't know how this happened." He pointed at his chest, where the tattooed dragon moved sinuously among his rippled muscles. "What I know for sure is that I have finally found what I have been searching for throughout the farthest corners of earth for a thousand years." He got closer to her and cradled her face between his large hands. The image of the dragon weaved towards his left shoulder and across his left arm, his nose arriving to the back of his hand just as Ana covered it with her own. She gasped at the unfamiliar sensation, looking at Christian in wonder. He smiled, relieved at her reaction. "I know it's you, Ana. It's always been you." He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply when her ragged breath fluttered across the corner of his mouth. "I wouldn't be able to be with you in the shape of a gigantic dragon… Now I know why I felt that I had to save Grey: I had to become him to be with you. You are my destiny, my finally found destiny."

Ana moved her hand toward his face, tracing its shape with a single finger. Her eyes followed its path: the scratchy angle of his jaw, the soft underside of his iridescent eyes, and the shape of his thick lips. Both her hands trailed the grayish scales of the serpentine dragon, and the dozen scars that covered what was the body of a fighter. She rounded him, and hugged him from behind; her cheek flat between his shoulder blades and her arms snaking around his waist. He shivered and stifled a moan, his head falling back when she trailed her fingertips over his rippled stomach. The dragon curled against her, having entwined all his length to Christian's back, and purred in contentment. She giggled, the vibration tickling her face and chest.

"Ana…" he sighed, gently squeezing both her hands with his, which rested over his stomach. It was the most beautiful sound he had never heard, like tiny bells chiming in the wind. She moved to face him and the dragon went round Christian's front once again, the ink filling his chest, stomach and also hiding underneath his jeans. "He never moves this much," he whispered.

Ana looked at him; her smile was carefree, but her eyes were solemn. "Your body and your eyes say it all." Her hand covered a pale, star-shaped scar right over his heart. "I am yours and you are mine," she whispered before placing a kiss on the mark of the dagger that changed it all.

Christian groaned at the feeling, the vibrations traveling to her lips. "You really accept me?" His voice broke with hope and want.

"I've also been waiting for you all my life…" she panted, overwhelmed by the feelings that emanated from Christian once he had let his control slip away. Her skin was on fire; her whole body ached to touch him and be touched by him. "Christian, the way you make me feel…"

"You feel the same overpowering emotions that I am feeling," he cut her off, guiding her back to the nearest wall. "Desperate. I'm feeling desperate, Ana…" he cornered her between his muscular arms, his hands flat on the wall at either side of her face. "Last night, Ana… the way you responded to me…" His nostrils flared; his fingers dug in the drywall behind her.

"You make me thirsty." She cradled his face and brought it closer to her, their noses touching and their lips a breath away.

"You make me hungry," he answered in a low rumble. She licked his lips; a single slow pass of her tongue and a mischievous glint in her eyes. He hissed and trailed the side of her neck with his bare teeth. "God, I'm gonna lose my fucking mind," he growled against her goose bumped skin. His arms closed around her tiny frame, surrounding her in a tight embrace. Her hands were flat on his chest.

Their eyes closed as their mouths clashed hungrily, lips moving sensually against the other, tongues tasting and exploring. Christian turned them around and leaned himself on the wall, afraid of crushing her.

"I'm not afraid of you, Christian. Don't hold back!" she pleaded with him, snaking one of her legs over his hip, trying to get closer to him.

He grabbed her by her shoulders and kept her at arm's length, eyes wild and mouth in a thin lane. She whimpered at the loss of contact. The dragon swirled around his bunched muscles, restless. He stared at her heaving chest, where her nipples strained against the flimsy material that covered her skin; at her pulse point, fluttering in the elegant curve of her neck; and finally, at her beautiful face, eyes shining with adoration, cheeks flushed with need and lips still wet from his saliva. He blinked twice as his mind finally bent to his needs and brought his hand to the neckline of the lavender sundress she was wearing and ripped it in two from top to bottom effortlessly. The alluring pink blush that stained her cheeks and neck spread unashamedly down her chest and stomach. She wasn't wearing a bra, and her dark pink nipples pointed at him daringly. She was all soft curves, alluringly perfect; her tiny white lacy panties the only thing breaking the harmony of her naked shape.

She sagged against him, almost jumping in his arms, snaking her arms and legs around him in a full body embrace as her shattered sundress slipped off her shoulders and onto the floor in a heap of silky material. The sensation of skin against skin was mind-blowing.

"Christian…" she sighed in contentment before kissing him deeply, raking her teeth over his full bottom lip while tugging at his hair with both hands.

He thrust his hips against her, his painfully hard erection imprisoned inside his jeans. She moaned against him, so hot and ready he could feel her through the layers of clothing. He fell to his knees, taking her with him. They laid on the floor, limbs entangled in a mass of flesh and need. The tattooed dragon swirled up his body and rounded his neck, where he roared in need.

"I need to taste you, baby, please," he mouthed against her neck, making her shiver. He grabbed her by her hips and maneuvered her body as if she weighed nothing, until she was straddling his face. She squealed, a giggle bubbling out of her mouth that rapidly morphed into a gasped moan when he buried his nose in the soaked material of her panties, inhaling deeply.

He ripped them into pieces and grabbed both her ass cheeks, diving into her as if she was water in the desert. Ana's upper body fell forward, her hands on the floor as she watched him pleasuring her, his silvery eyes fixated on her. Her stomach contracted painfully as she approached her orgasm; every swipe of his tongue, every caress of his lips, every nip of his teeth bringing her closer to the point of no return. Her legs trembled, her elbows bowed, all her body shook as the tightened coil in her belly snapped, a hoarse scream emptying her lungs.

He lifted her trembling form and cradled her on top of his lap. "My sweet Ana…" he hummed against her damp hair. "So sweet, so beautiful." He lovingly caressed the side of her body, from shoulder to ankle, until her breathing evened and her eyes fluttered open with a dreamy expression on her face.

Without a single word, she kissed him unhurriedly and guided him to lay back down on the floor with a gentle push of her hand on his shoulder. Both her hands roamed across his chest and abs, raking her nails over his inked skin. Looking him in the eye, she unfastened the button of his jeans and unzipped his fly tortuously slow. She palmed him through his boxers; he was hot, heavy and hard as a rock. His hips jerked involuntarily, both in relief and frustration.

"We need to get rid of these…" she murmured as she shifted to take off his boots and the rest of his clothes. Once completely naked, she stared at him, mesmerized. The dragon roamed his sculptured body languidly, from his legs to his arms, watching her in sweet anticipation. "You are so beautiful," Ana whispered as she lay beside him, momentarily shifting so her hand could take that delicious trip from his knee to his hip, and finally wrapping her hand around his shaft, hard steel underneath the velvety soft skin.

He hissed and moaned against her mouth, his arms tightening around her. Her lips left a trail of wet kisses along his strong neck, her tongue licking the flat discs of his areolas and dipping between the bulging muscles of his abdomen. He stared as she nipped his navel and tongued his happy trail, pulling her hair up in a makeshift ponytail with one of his hands to better watch her as she reached his aching cock. She licked her lips before diving in; the hungry glint in her eyes almost as erotic as her hot mouth around his shaft. He growled when he hit the back of her throat, his eyes bulging and a swirl of ink vibrating all over his skin.

"Baby, if you continue…" Christian didn't find coherent words, "I need to be inside you, please…" Ana stopped her ministrations, a trail of her saliva connecting her lips with his cock. Christian groaned at the sight.

Carrying her bridal style to the bedroom, he deposited her in the middle of the bed and eased himself between her parted legs. They both trembled when he teased her entrance with the head of his cock, running it up and down her wet slit before gently breaching her entrance. She arched her back; her knees high and touching the bed, completely open for him. He gripped the iron headboard with one hand and her thigh with the other one, entering her inch by inch until he was fully seethed inside her.

"So warm… you're so warm and tight…" he panted against her neck. He kissed her sweetly, lovingly. Both of them moaned when he began moving, easing almost out of her completely, to fully enter her again, grinding his pelvis to reach even deeper.

His slow, measured movements quickly morphed into frenzied ones as her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck, as if they had a mind of their own. The fingers of one of his hands dug into the flesh of her backside, bringing her impossibly closer to him, and the floral design of the headboard deformed under the strength of his other hand.

"God, Christian…" she moaned in his ear, "I'm so close… are you there? Take me with you, please!" she begged incoherently. "I'm going to implode!"

"Fuck, Ana! Yes, fuck yes!" His hips jerked violently as an electric feeling seethed along his spine and spread to his legs, his balls, and his cock. He roared like a beast, head tilted back as the blur of ink disappeared between them and covered Ana's skin as she screamed in ecstasy, the black and gray scales turning sparkly bright as the dragon traveled between their joined bodies. They shook in rapture, the pleasure so high and so prolonged they lost all track of time and space.

When the dragon calmed down and returned to Christian's body, they fell into a blissful sleep.

_§ § 0 § §_

"So, what do we do now?" Ana asked against his chest.

They were still laying on her bed after a night of restful sleep, limbs entangled and hearts swelling in happiness.

"I have a house at The Sound," he said, looking at the ceiling. "It has a big meadow where you could cultivate every possible type of plant or tree."

A big smile spread across Ana's mouth, lighting her entire face. "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"I know it might be sudden; we are practically strangers, but I think it will work out well…" Christian looked at her after his rambling, the look on her face making him speechless.

"I love you, Christian. I would love to move in with you and your meadow." She answered, snuggling against his side.

"I love you, Ana. Forever."

* * *

" **Gråskuggor", meaning more or less "gray shades" in Swedish.**


End file.
